THE BADDIBOO WAR, 1860-61.
The next active operations in which the 1st West India Regiment was
engaged, took place at the Gambia, where the King of Baddiboo, an
important Mohammedan state up the river, had in August and September,
1860, plundered the factories of several British traders, and afterwards
refused to pay compensation. The Governor of the Gambia, Colonel D'Arcy,
resolved to blockade the kingdom of Baddiboo, in the hope that the
enforced suspension of trade would compel the king to come to terms,
and, on October 10th, 1860, the gunners of the companies of the 1st West
India Regiment stationed at Bathurst embarked in the barque _Elm_ and
the schooner _Shamrock_, to close all the Baddiboo river ports. On
November 3rd additional gunners were sent in the schooner _Hope_, and
the blockade was strictly enforced, the natives not being allowed to
export any articles of produce or import anything.
While the blockade was still in force, the wing of the 2nd West India
Regiment, which had been wrecked in the troopship _Perseverance_ at
Maio, one of the Cape Verde Islands, while on its way to relieve the
wing of the 1st West India Regiment, arrived in West Africa in various
vessels, three companies at the Gambia and three at Sierra Leone; and as
in January, 1861, the blockade had manifestly failed in its object of
inducing the King of Baddiboo to indemnify the plundered merchants,
Governor D'Arcy determined to take advantage of the presence of an
unusual number of regular troops to organise a formidable expedition;
which step was rendered necessary from the fact that the numerous
Mohammedan tribes around the settlement and on the banks of the river
were narrowly watching events, and had, owing to the long delay in
punishing the King of Baddiboo, already commenced to show signs of
lawlessness.
On January 12th, 1861, the hired transport _Avon_ arrived at the Gambia
to convey the wing of the 1st West India Regiment to the West Indies,
and Colonel D'Arcy proceeded in her to Sierra Leone to make arrangements
for the services of a portion of the garrison of that settlement. On
February 2nd, he returned to the Gambia in the _Avon_ with three
companies of the 1st West India Regiment and one of the 2nd West India
Regiment.
The expeditionary force now consisted of six companies of the 1st West
India Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel A.W. Murray, and four of the
2nd West India Regiment, under Major W. Hill; the Gambia Militia were
called out, and the West India detachments at McCarthy's Island, Cape
St. Mary's, and Fort Bullen replaced by pensioners.
Everything being in readiness, the Governor decided to make one last
endeavour to arrive at a peaceful solution of the difficulty (although
the king's people had recently, on several occasions, fired on the
schooners blockading the river), and despatched H.M.S. _Torch_ with a
flag of truce to Swarra Cunda Creek. Commander Smith returned with the
intelligence that the natives had prepared stockaded earthworks, were
assembled in large numbers, and had refused to hold any communication
with the ship.
On February 15th, the expedition left Bathurst, and steaming up to
Swarra Cunda Creek, some forty miles up the river, anchored there for
the night. The troops were under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Murray, 1st West India Regiment, and were thus distributed:
The gunners of the 1st and 2nd West India Regiment on board H.M.S.
_Torch_.
Nos. 1 and 7 Companies, 1st West India Regiment, on board the Colonial
steamer _Dover_.
Nos. 2 and 3 Companies, 1st West India Regiment, on the schooner
_Elizabeth_.
Nos. 4 and 7 Companies, 2nd West India Regiment, on the schooner
_Margaret_.
The _Dover_, after distributing her contingent amongst the other three
vessels lying in the creek, returned to Bathurst the same night to bring
up Nos. 4 and 6 Companies of the 1st West India Regiment and two
companies of the 2nd West India Regiment.
On February 16th, the whole force being collected, the _Torch_ and the
_Dover_ steamed up the creek to the trading landing-place of Swarra
Cunda, towing the schooners. The earthworks were observed to be full of
armed men, who shouted and brandished their weapons, amid a tremendous
beating of war-drums. The _Torch_ anchored about 180 yards from the
earthworks, the two schooners lying above her and the _Dover_ below, in
such positions as to be able to bring a cross-fire to bear. The
Governor, being still anxious to avoid bloodshed, hailed the enemy
through his interpreter, calling upon them to surrender. They replied
with yells of defiance, and were then informed that if they did not
abandon their works the ships would open fire in half-an-hour.
The half-hour having elapsed without any result, except a considerable
accession to the enemy's strength, fire was opened from the guns of the
_Torch_ and _Dover_, while the troops poured in a destructive storm of
musketry. The enemy replied with great spirit; and, although the
sixty-eight-pounder shell were crushing through the earthworks and
carrying away large portions of the parapets, some of the warriors
continued calmly up and down in full view on the most exposed portions
of the works, to encourage the others; and it was not until this
terrible fire of shell and musketry had lasted for three hours, that the
natives began to abandon their works, retiring even then very
gradually. This movement being observed, a landing was at once ordered;
and the boats, which had been collected together under cover of the
_Torch_, pulled in rapidly for the landing-place. Before, however, they
reached the shore, some 800 natives, who had occupied the extreme right
of the earthworks, which had not suffered from our fire as much as the
other portions, rushed down to oppose them.
The landing was effected in the teeth of all opposition, the troops
wading ashore and attacking the enemy with the bayonet. Colonel D'Arcy
in his despatch says:--"Nothing could exceed the gallantry of the
landing on the part of the officers and men of the 1st and 2nd West
India Regiments; and now commenced a smart skirmish with a numerous
enemy, in which our black soldiers evinced a gallantry and a
determination to close which I felt proud to witness."
While this stubborn and hand-to-hand conflict was at its height, a
shrill cry was suddenly heard in rear of the enemy, and at once, as if
by a preconcerted plan, those natives who were disputing the landing
broke and fled, while, at the same moment, a body of some 300 cavalry
debouched from the shelter of a clump of dwarf palms, and came down at
full gallop on the troops, who were already somewhat scattered in
pursuit of the retreating enemy. The men at once formed rallying
squares, and in a moment the Mandingo horsemen were amongst them,
brandishing their scimetars and discharging matchlocks and pistols. The
fire from the squares was so steady and well sustained, that, with one
exception, the enemy could effect nothing. They rode round and round the
squares for a few minutes, uttering shouts of defiance and endeavouring
to reach the men with their spears; and finally, a good many saddles
having been emptied, galloped off as rapidly as they had come, their
long robes streaming out behind in the wind. The one exception referred
to was that of a group of three men of the 1st West India Regiment and
two of the 2nd, who, having advanced too far in pursuit, had become
separated from their comrades, and, on the sudden appearance of the
cavalry, had not time to reach any of the squares. They stood back to
back, surrounded by the enemy, until overwhelmed by force of numbers and
ridden down, being afterwards found lying where they had stood,
surrounded by eleven dead Mandingoes whom they had shot or bayoneted.
This cavalry charge was the last hope of the enemy; and no sooner was it
repulsed than they withdrew in great disorder. The troops pursued for a
short distance, but as it was not deemed advisable to scatter the small
force, especially as the day was beginning to close, they were soon
recalled, and the men bivouacked on the ground they had so ably won, the
bivouac being so arranged that the guns of the _Torch_ could sweep the
front and one flank. Wells were dug, the dead buried, and the night
passed without further disturbance.
Next morning, the 17th, the Gambia Militia Artillery, with 400 native
allies, arrived and landed, and in the afternoon the 1st and 2nd West
India Regiments, under Lieutenant-Colonel Murray, after a short
resistance, took and destroyed the stockaded town of Carawan, situated
to the right of the position. Encouraged by this success, the native
allies and the Gambia Militia Artillery advanced to the town of Swarra
Cunda, to the left of the position, and finding it abandoned, destroyed
it also.
During the ensuing night, H.M.S. _Arrogant_, Commodore Edmonstone,
arrived in the Gambia River, and early next morning the _Dover_ brought
the Commodore, with a naval brigade of seamen and marines, up to Swarra
Cunda Creek. This unlooked-for accession of strength determined
Lieutenant-Colonel Murray to advance into the interior, and strike a
blow that would bring the war to a conclusion. Cattle were obtained for
the field-guns, which were then landed, and about noon on the 18th, the
force marched inland, four companies of the 1st West India Regiment
forming the right division, four of the 2nd West India Regiment the left
division, and two of the 1st the reserve, with the guns on the flanks.
The country through which the advance was made was a level sandy plain,
covered with tall grass, and dotted here and there with clumps of baobab
and dwarf palm. Occasionally a few clearings for the cultivation of the
ground nut were met, but as a rule the march was made through grass more
than waist high. The enemy showed in force, but made no serious
opposition to the advance; and, though large bodies of cavalry were
observed hanging about the flanks and rear, they showed no disposition
to close, and the towns of Kinty-Cunda and Sabba were destroyed without
loss on our side, and very small loss, if any, on the part of the enemy.
The 19th and 20th were devoted to changing the camping ground, and
arranging a plan of campaign against Indear, the king's town, in which
the shipping might be used as a base; but, on the afternoon of the
latter day, a slave-girl, who came into the camp to claim British
protection, reported that the king's warriors, having been largely
reinforced, had come down from Indear, and had erected a stockade on the
ruins of Sabba. Although it did not suit Lieut.-Colonel Murray's plans
to return to Sabba, he did not consider it advisable to leave this
unexpected challenge unanswered; and, on the morning of February 21st,
the force again marched for Sabba.
On approaching that town it was ascertained that a double stockade had
been built, which appeared to be full of armed men, while detached
parties were observed partially concealed in the long grass to the left
of the stockade, and facing our right. The troops were halted and formed
for attack, the Naval Brigade, consisting of seamen and marines from
H.M.S. _Arrogant_, _Falcon_, and _Torch_, being in the centre, four
companies of the 1st West India Regiment on the right, four of the 2nd
on the left, and two of the 1st in reserve. The howitzer battery at once
opened on the stockade, and, after a few rounds, the centre advanced to
within effective rifle range and commenced firing. Directly this
movement took place, the detached parties of Mandingoes on our right
approached skirmishing through the tall grass, and attacked the four
companies of the 1st West India Regiment, while large bodies of cavalry
simultaneously appeared on the left, threatening the flank of the 2nd
West India Regiment. While the 1st West India Regiment was hotly engaged
on the right, the field-guns of the Gambia Militia Artillery, under
Colonel D'Arcy, who was present as a volunteer and honorary colonel of
that corps, were hastily brought up, and opened fire on the stockade, to
breach it. As it was apparent that this would be a work of some time,
the timber of which the stockade was built being quite stout enough to
withstand for some time the fire of light guns, Lieutenant-Colonel
Murray directed the Commodore to storm. In an instant the seamen
extended, and, advancing at a sharp run, clambered over the stockades,
and, attacking the enemy with the bayonet, soon carried the place.
Acting in concert with this forward movement of the centre, the right
(1st West India Regiment) closed on the natives with whom they had been
engaged, and, cutting them off from the stockade, killed or wounded the
entire force on this side, with a loss to themselves of one officer
(Lieutenant Bourke) and twenty-two men severely wounded, besides slight
casualties. The cavalry on the left, seeing the turn affairs had taken,
withdrew without making any attack. The Naval Brigade lost Lieutenant
Hamilton, of the _Arrogant_, and three men killed, and twenty-two
wounded.
Ensign Garsia, of the 1st West India Regiment, had a narrow escape.
Shortly before the Naval Brigade had advanced to storm, he had been
despatched by Lieutenant-Colonel Murray with an order to Major Hill,
commanding on the left, and, in crossing the front of the stockade under
a heavy fire, both he and his horse were shot and rolled over together,
Ensign Garsia being very severely wounded. While thus lying at a
distance of some seventy yards from the stockade, a Mohammedan, dressed
in yellow--a colour only assumed in this part of the world when the
wearer is engaged in some desperate enterprise--climbed over the
stockade and ran towards the wounded man with a drawn scimetar in his
hand. He escaped numerous shots that were fired at him, reached Ensign
Garsia, and had actually raised his scimetar to strike off his head,
when a wounded sailor, who was lying on the ground, shot him dead, with
his cry of exultation on his lips.
No sooner was the enemy dispersed and in full retreat, than messengers
arrived from the King of Jocardo, whose territory is separated from
Baddiboo by the Swarra Cunda Creek, begging an interview with the
Governor, and promising that, if he would grant a three days'
armistice, he would bring together all the chiefs of the Baddiboo towns,
who were now anxious for peace, but afraid to come in. The Governor
acceded to these terms, but, in case of negotiations failing,
Lieutenant-Colonel Murray proceeded with his preparations for an advance
on Indear on the morning of the 25th. On the 24th, the Governor received
another message from the King of Jocardo, begging him to extend the
armistice for another day, the distance to the different towns being so
great. This was granted, and at 6 a.m. on the 26th, the King of Baddiboo
came to terms, promising to pay a considerable sum to the Government as
a fine for his past misdemeanours, and leaving hostages in the
Governor's hands.
The officers of the 1st West India Regiment who took part in this
expedition were Lieutenant-Colonel A.W. Murray, Captains H. Anton, J.A.
Fraser, J. Fanning, and G.H. Duyer, Lieutenants A. Temple, J. Moffitt,
R. Brew, T. Edmunds, J. Bourke, and Ensigns M.C. Garsia and T.
Nicholson. Lieutenant-Colonel Murray was awarded the C.B. for his
services.